Part of the American History and Genealogy Project

Camp Carlin, Wyoming Territory

In August, 1867, Colonel Elias B.
Carling selected the site of the supply depot which he was to
establish, on the military reservation, about a mile and a half
down the creek from Port Russell, proper. It was about half way
between Fort Russell and Cheyenne. This was a military "camp"
and was usually garrisoned by a detached company of infantry. It
was called Camp Carling in honor of Colonel Carling. From the
beginning there was confusion in spelling the name, sometimes it
was Carling, sometimes Carlin, even in official records. The
granite marker that now stands on the site of the old flag* pole
says "Camp Carlin". The official name of the supply depot was
"Cheyenne Depot".

At Camp Carlin, large warehouses were built along the railroad
siding so that freight cars could be unloaded on the platforms.
There were also deep cellars for storage of vegetables and
potatoes and other supplies that might be damaged by frost.

It was the second largest depot in the United States Army, and
was something of a marvel to the frontiersmen, mountain men and
trappers who came in to this outpost of the greater world. The
camp had sixteen large warehouses, in addition to blacksmith
shops, wheelwright shops, carpenter shops, saddle and harness
shops, sales stores, cook and bunk houses, wagon sheds, stables
and corrals. One hundred wagons and five pack trains operated
from the depot and in the corrals were never less than 1,000
mules. Nearly 500 men, teamsters, packers, artisans and laborers
were employed at Camp Carlin, and twelve army posts,

some of them 400 miles distant, were
supplied from this point.

The road from Fort Russell to Cheyenne followed Crow Creek and
passed through Camp Carlin, a convenient half-way stopping place
on the way to and from the "city". (Cheyenne).

As the need for use of military force against predatory Indians
lessened and finally vanished, Camp Carlin shrank in size and
importance, and at last, in 1887 or 1888, passed out of
existence.